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FAMU could lose accreditation; grads not giving up on fraud cases; National Jurist beat up over rankings

February 19, 2013

It was a GOOD week for …

Getting bad news at the worst possible time, after Florida A&M University received notice from the ABA that it is in risk of losing its accreditation. Applications to the law school are already off by 35 percent this year, and this could hurt the school even more. The ABA has questioned whether the university is doing enough to prepare students for the bar exam. Approximately 30 percent of students never graduate or pass the bar exam. The law school has until May to submit a report in response. FAMU representatives say they are already addressing the concerns.

Never giving up, after attorneys for graduates of New York Law School filed an appeal with New York’s highest court to hear their case that the law school misled students with false employment data. Lower courts have dismissed most of the cases against law schools for fraud through motions to dismiss, except in California.

It was a BAD week for…

Launching a ranking to compete with U.S. News, after The National Jurist’s Best Law School ranking was roundly criticized on blogs for using data from RateMyProfessors.com that some pointed out included non-law professors. The magazine quickly announced it would review all data to ensure the data was accurate and acknowledged that at least one school — The University of Chicago — got a bum rap. Brian Leiter, a law professor at University of Chicago, said RateMyProfessors.com was a “notorious on-line rating site used mainly by undergraduates, and hardly at all by law students.”